ABSTRACT
Promoting crop diversification is high on the policy agenda of many sub-Saharan African countries. Using household survey data collected from smallholder farmers in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, the chapter empirically assesses the main policy option influencing the adoption of diversified cropping systems and the impact of these systems in terms of productivity and resilience. To accomplish this, the analysis moves beyond abstract measures of diversification and identifies seven different cropping systems based on combinations of four categories of crops: dominate staple (maize), alternative staple, legumes and cash crops. The results show that the majority of the systems report higher yield compared to maize monocropping, while their impact on crop income volatility is conditioned by market conditions for the crops comprising the systems and differences in the country’s agro-ecological characteristics. Three policy recommendations emerge from the results. First, to foster diversification, policymakers can explore policies to attract private investments into input and output market from local and foreign actors. Second, policymakers need to carefully consider public intervention in these markets, as these may inadvertently push farmers away from beneficial diversification pathways. Third, policies to improve land tenure security and land access, particularly in peri-urban areas, are integral for the achieving diversification objectives.
